Haryana

• 12 Sep 2024

Outrage over Approval of New Slaughterhouses in Nuh District

Why in News?

Recently, the Haryana government's decision to approve 21 additional slaughterhouses in Nuh district has triggered protests from local residents, leading them to approach the National Green Tribunal (NGT) over environmental and health concerns.

Key Points

• Environmental Concerns:
  • The NGT has issued notices to the Haryana State Pollution Control Board and Central Ground Water Authority to respond to allegations of contamination in air, water, and soil.
  • Residents claim existing slaughterhouses violate pollution norms, leading to degradation of the local environment.
• Health Hazards:
  • Local activists report that the villages around these slaughterhouses are experiencing severe health impacts, with children falling ill and blood from slaughterhouses contaminating fields.
  • Waste is allegedly being dumped into the soil and water streams, creating an unbearable stench and causing health problems.
  • Residents point out the contradiction in policies, with Uttar Pradesh shutting down slaughterhouses, while Haryana is expanding them in Nuh.

National Green Tribunal (NGT)

• It is a specialised body set up under the National Green Tribunal Act (2010) for effective and expeditious disposal of cases relating to environmental protection and conservation of forests and other natural resources.
• With the establishment of the NGT, India became the 3^rd country in the world to set up a specialised environmental tribunal, only after Australia and New Zealand, and the first developing country to do so.
• NGT is mandated to make disposal of applications or appeals finally within 6 months of filing of the same.
• The NGT has five places of sittings, New Delhi is the Principal place of sitting and Bhopal, Pune, Kolkata and Chennai are the other four.